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International GT Open, race 3 on the Nürburgring,Podium spot 4th place Porsche customer teams

Podium spot and fourth place for Porsche customer teams

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Stuttgart. The International GT Open race on the Nürburgring began very promisingly for Porsche customer teams. With works driver Patrick Pilet and team owner Raymond Narac (both France) at the wheel of the 911 GT3 RSR, IMSA Performance Matmut claimed position three from race three – and with this the second podium spot this season.

The winning duo of the first two season races, works driver Marco Holzer (Germany) and Manthey-Racing pilot Nick Tandy (Great Britain) secured valuable points ranking fourth in the 911 GT3 RSR. With this, Holzer and Tandy retain their points’ lead in the drivers’ classification. Pilet/Narac have moved up the table to now rank second. The Austrian Deboeuf Team yielded a second place in the GTS class and seventh overall with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Porsche leads the manufacturers’ classification.

Positions three and four for IMSA and Manthey Racing respectively are something to be highly valued. Both teams had to spend extra time in the pits: To increase the suspense amongst the front-runners there is a handicap regulation in the race series that hands the top three of the race a time penalty. Because of this, during the driver change between Patrick Pilet and Raymond Narac, the IMSA team had to wait for ten seconds because the Frenchmen had secured second place at Sunday’s race on the Algarve.

Marco Holzer and Nick Tandy had a whole 30 seconds to pay for their two Algarve wins. Still, fourth place from the 70 minutes race on Saturday in the Eifel had its upside for the German/British team: For tomorrow’s fourth race of the season, which runs over 50 minutes, the time penalty during a pit stop has now been shortened to 15 seconds.

“It was a good race for us with a perfectly set-up car. Above all, my start from sixth to move up the field into second was just great,” thought Patrick Pilet.

“We made it over the distance well with the tyres, although we weren’t allowed to change to new rubber during the pit stop. Raymond’s spin during qualifying made one set of tyres completely unusable. And we need the remaining fresh set for tomorrow’s race. At the end there was a misunderstanding. We didn’t know that the driver ahead of us had been handed a time penalty so we slowed the pace. Otherwise we would have finished in second. Fourth or fifth tomorrow would be good, then we are exempt from the ten second penalty.”

“The race was okay with fourth place at the end,” stated works driver Marco Holzer.

“Luckily we don’t get a 15 second handicap for tomorrow’s race. To have to stand for a full 30 additional seconds during a pit stop is really long. I lost a couple of positions at the start, other than that another driver nudged my car, but there were no repercussions. Afterwards, we kept out of any trouble. Tomorrow we definitely want to take a trophy home from the Eifel.”

Seventh place overall for Deboeuf Racing yielded the Austrians second in the GTS class. This category, in which the 911 GT3 R starts, is based on the FIA GT3 regulations whilst the FIA GT2 regulations underlie the Super GT class. The top model of Porsche customer racing, the 911 GT3 RSR, is fielded in this category.

Germany’s Marco Seefried and the Austrian Thomas Gruber brought the 911 of the Deboeuf squad home safely. Eleventh went to the Spanish Drivex School team. Sharing the cockpit of the new 911 GT3 RSR are team owner Miguel Angel De Castro and Miguel Amaral from Portugal.

On the series’ website www.gtopen.net, the International GT Open provides Live-Timing and also Live-Streaming. The respective schedules, points’ standings and further information are also available there.

Race four starts tomorrow at 13.00 hours.

Result race 3
1. Bruni/Federico (I/I), Ferrari 458 GT Italia, 1:10.45.515 hours
2. Barba/Malucelli (E/I), Aston Martin Vantage, + 47.393 seconds
3. Narac/Pilet (F/F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 47.426
4. Holzer/Tandy (D/GB), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 55.822
5. Heyer/Seyffarth (D/D), Mercedes SLS AMG, + 1.12.851 minutes
6. Ramos/Giammaria (P/I), Ferrari 458 GT Italia, + 1.17.663
7. Seefried/Gruber (D/A), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 1.29.773

Points’ drivers
1. Holzer/Tandy, 54 points
2. Narac/Pilet, 44
3. Barba/Malucelli, 36

This is the International GT Open

Inaugurated in 2006, the International GT Open features two races per weekend with identical points’ allocation – the first race on Saturday runs over 70 minutes, the second on Sunday over 50. Two drivers share the cockpit. A handicap system ensures more suspense at the head of the field. The top three drivers of each race are handed a 15, ten or five second penalty respectively for the following race. The calendar of the race series includes eight races on selective circuits like Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and the Nürburgring.

One of the keys to success in the International GT Open is the stable technical regulations and the capping of costs, for instance through control tyres. The grid is divided into two classes, the stronger Super GT category and the GTS class.

Super GT: This class is based on the FIA GT2 regulations – the 911 GT3 RSR competes here. The particularly efficient six-cylinder boxer engine in the International GT Open version delivers significantly more than 500 hp.
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GTS: Based on the FIA GT3 regulations. The Porsche 911 GT3 R is fielded here, now delivering 500 hp after the new model year underwent improvements.

In 2007, Autorlando Sport won the overall classification for drivers and teams with Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) and Joel Camathias from Switzerland.

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Communication Porsche AG
Motorsportpress

 

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Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, round 5 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, newcomer Philipp Eng on pole position

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Philipp Eng (A)

 Newcomer Philipp Eng on pole position 

Stuttgart. The season highlight of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland began with a surprise.

On a damp track with dry patches, a complete Nordschleife rookie positioned himself at the front of the 24-strong field. Austria’s Philipp Eng, driving for the MRS GT-Racing squad, snatched pole position at just his fourth qualifying session with the 450 hp 911 GT3 Cup on the world’s most challenging circuit.

Eng lapped the 25.378 kilometre track combining the Grand Prix circuit and the legendary Nordschleife in 9:53.131 minutes.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Philipp Eng (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

A mere 0.294 seconds shy of the pole-sitter, Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing) posted the second quickest time.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

However, the Dane and winner of round three on the Lausitzring was relegated back to fifth starting position due to a collision at Sunday’s race in the Lausitz.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

Instead, Sean Edwards (Great Britain, Team Deutsche Post by tolimit), the third qualifier and two-time winner this season, takes up the four-lap race from the second grid spot.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Sean Edwards (GB)

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

The one-hour qualification session for the fifth race of the season run as support to the Nürburgring 24 hour race featured suspense from the first to the last minute as well as swaps at the top of the time sheets.

At first Philipp Eng was sixth but improved from lap to lap until in the dying minutes of the qualifying he popped up at the head of the list – and stayed there although everyone expected him to be ousted by a seasoned campaigner.

Eng is a Carrera Cup rookie with just one guest appearance at the 2011 finale to his credit. The 22-year-old did his mandatory training on the Nordschleife only two days ago at the wheel of his team boss Karsten Molitor’s Porsche 911 GT3. Yesterday’s free practice marked the first outing in a race car on this difficult circuit for the Austrian.

His namesake, Philipp Frommenwiler, is another unfamiliar name in the fiercely-contested one-make race series. Driving for Attempto Racing, the Swiss racer first contested the Carrera Cup in 2011 and concluded his first season as the best newcomer. Because of Nicki Thiim’s penalty, the 22-year-old takes up tomorrow’s race at 11.35 hours from the third grid spot.

Although last year’s Nürburgring winner, René Rast (Germany, Team Deutsche Post by tolimit), managed to secure the fifth fastest qualifying time despite scraping the barrier, he was also bumped down the grid by five positions due to the Lausitzring collision.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

For this reason, Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands, FE Racing by Land-Motorsport) starts from fourth place.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Jaap van Lagen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

Sharing the third grid row are Kévin Estre and Michael Ammermüller (Germany, SWITCH IT Lechner Racing).

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Kévin Estre (F)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

The Frenchman driving for Hermes Attempto Racing currently leads the rookie classification, but he already has one season of experience under his belt. At the end of the 2011 season, Estre took home the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Michael Ammermüller (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

Although the ex-Formula 1 test driver Michael Ammermüller is new to the Carrera Cup, he is not eligible to campaign for rookie honours, as the Bavarian is already 26-years-old.

Porsche-Junior Klaus Bachler made a good showing on the slippery surface in the Eifel after his previous difficulties at the Lausitzring race. At the wheel of the yellow Deutsche Post by tolimit 911, the 20-year-old Austrian takes up the highlight race from eleventh in front of huge crowds lining the Nordschleife.

The second Porsche-Junior, Michael Christensen (Denmark, Konrad Motorsport), was just 16th in qualifying after his sensational third place in the Lausitz.

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The Nordschleife race is aired live by Sport1 tomorrow from 11.35 to 12.35 hrs. Also on the official Porsche website (www.porsche.com), the race is broadcast live exclusively and in high quality – with editorial reports before the actual live-streaming, live-timing and commentary in Germany and English.

The broadcast begins at 11.10 hours. On May 21st, the Monday after the race weekend, news station N24 televises the 30-minute “Porsche Carrera Cup Magazin” at 18.30 hours. Sport1 broadcasts Carrera Cup highlights on Saturday, 26 May, from 17.45 to 18.15 hours.

Philipp Eng (pole-sitter):

“I’m actually totally surprised and I can hardly believe it. I’ve only driven 15 laps on the Nordschleife in a road-legal 911 and yesterday was my very first attempt with a Cup car. My vehicle ran superbly. And I very probably had a bit of luck on my side. But when that happens to you on the Nordschleife then it’s something quite extraordinary.”

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Philipp Eng (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

Sean Edwards (second in qualifying):

“That was a crazy session. At the beginning everything ran well, but later, on each lap, you had to overtake a couple of Clios which were practicing at the same time. I didn’t manage to get a clear lap where there wasn’t a yellow flag out. Still, I’m totally happy with second on the grid.”

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

Philipp Frommenwiler (third in qualifying):

“My qualifying was not so bad. When I take a look at the gap to the top time I think it could have been me on pole position. But I’m actually quite pleased not to start as the leader. This way I can trail along behind at first and that’s not a bad thing.”

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2012
Philipp Frommenwiler (S)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 –
24h Nürburgring 2012

Klaus Bachler (Porsche-Junior, eleventh qualifier):

“I’m very satisfied with my result. This was my first time on the wet Nordschleife. And it’s really hard because the circuit has all sorts of tarmac surfaces and every corner has a different level of grip. I felt my way step by step, but unfortunately I had to stop in the final lap because the circuit was too dry to turn a quick time with wet tyres.”

Michael Christensen (16th in qualifying):

“Whew, that was an extremely tough qualifying session, but it was certainly a good experience. I couldn’t get the most out of my new tyres when it became drier towards the end. I made the mistake of pushing too hard on the Grand Prix circuit during the warm-up. When I reached the Nordschleife the wet tyres were much too hot for the dry passages.”

Qualifying result
1. Philipp Eng (A), MRS GT-Racing, 9:53.131 minutes
2. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, +2.307 seconds
3. Philipp Frommenwiler (CH), Attempto Racing, + 2.455
4. Jaap van Lagen (NL), FE-Racing by Land-Motorsport, + 3.745
5. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 4.104
6. Michael Ammermüller (D), SWITCH IT Lechner Racing, + 4.585
7. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 0.294*
8. Norbert Siedler (A), Konrad Motorsport, + 6.491
9. Clemens Schmid (A), SWITCH IT Lechner Racing, + 6.491
10. René Rast (D), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 2.634*
* set back 5 grid positions

Amateurs
1. Peter Scharmach (NZ), GT3 Cup Middle East, + 14.336
2. Hoevert Vos (NL), Land-Motorsport, + 17.716
3. Pascal Bour (F), BG Racing, +25.630

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

Communication Porsche AG
Motorsportpress

 

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Porsche congratulates Derek Bell – Famous works driver celebrates 70th birthday

Happy Birthday Derek Bell!

Porsche congratulates Derek Bell

Stuttgart. Derek Bell, one of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG’s most successful works drivers, will celebrate his 70th birthday on 31 October 2011.

Derek Bell (GB), five times winner at Le Mans.
He won two World Sportscar Championship titles in 1985-86, the 24 Hours of Daytona three times in 1986-87 and 1989 and Le Mans five times in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1987, mostly teamed with Jacky Ickx in one of the Porsche 936 and Porsche 956/Porsche 962 models. Ickx/Bell is nowadays considered as one of the most famous pairings in motorsport history.

Born in Pinner, Middlesex, Great Britain in 1941, Bell is considered to be one of the most versatile and popular racing drivers of his time.

VIDEO: Derek Bell in car Porsche 956 at Nordschleife. Derek Bell drives and describes a lap in a Porsche 956 around the old Nurburgring

Matthias Müller, Porsche AG’s Chairman of the Board of Management has this to say about the birthday boy:

Derek Bell in Monza, 1983

“Derek Bell made motorsport history with Porsche. Whether it was in a 917, 936 or 956 – he was always one of the fastest and above all most reliable drivers. Derek Bell won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times for Porsche. He won the world championship twice. For that we owe him our gratitude and great respect.” ~ Matthias Müller, Porsche AG’s Chairman of the Board of Management

Derek Bell began his racing career with Lotus in 1964. In Formula 1 he then took his place on the starting grid for Ferrari in 1969. In the 1971 season he drove the Porsche 917 and 908/03 racing cars for the Porsche-Gulf team, forming a successful driver duo with Jo Siffert.

Porsche 917 KH Coupé in Spa, 1971, Drivers: Jo Siffert and Derek Bell

This was followed by appearances in the Porsche 934 and 935 in 1976 and 1977 before Derek Bell took his place on the Le Mans starting grid as a works driver in the 924 Carrera GT. In 1981, together with Jacky Ickx in the Porsche 936/81 Spyder, he won the first of his total of four Le Mans overall victories in a Porsche.

1982 saw the beginning of the Group C era with the Porsche 956 during which time Bell made his mark as one of the most successful endurance drivers of all time.

Derek Bell in Brands Hatch, 1971

VIDEO: Derek Bell in the Porsche 956 gives a running commentary at Brands Hatch.

Together with drivers such as Jacky Ickx, Stefan Bellof and Hans-Joachim-Stuck, he not merely won numerous overall victories in the Types 956 and 962 but also the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and 1986.

Derek Bell remains in close contact with Porsche to this very day, constantly undertaking ambassadorial tasks for the Stuttgart-based sportscar manufacturer, such as for example at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring or at this year’s Corso to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the car.

Porsche 956 in Le Mans, 1983, Drivers: Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell

Derek Bell, driver of the #17 Rothmans Racing Porsche 962C celebrates with champagne after winning the FIA World Sportscar Championship 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14th June 1988 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Getty Images)

Photos: Haynes –  For further information, visit www.haynes.co.uk.

There’s no question that Derek Bell also remained faithful to the Porsche brand off the race track:

To this very day he can be seen on Britain’s roads driving a 1981 vintage Porsche 924 Carrera GTS.

Derek Bell’s GTS, a special one in that it has a factory fitted road interior with carpets and road seats, one of only 2 done like that.

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Public Relations and Media
Porsche-Museum – Astrid Böttinger

 

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Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, rd 6 at the F1 race-Nürburgring/Germany-René Rast wins 200th Supercup race

René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

René Rast wins 200th Supercup race

Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Stuttgart. The hero of the day in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup is René Rast.

René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by VELTINS Lechner Racing, the title defender from Frankfurt in Germany won the 200th race of the world’s fastest international one-make series on the Nuerburgring.

René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

René Rast (D)  – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

This marks his fourth win so far this season.

Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

In a gripping race under typical Eifel weather conditions, he relegated Poland’s Kuba Giermaziak (VERVA Racing Team) to second place and further extended his championship lead.

Start zum 200. Rennen – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

The anniversary race of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, which has run as support to the Formula 1 worldwide since 1993, started with a worried glance at the low-hanging clouds.

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

When the rain stopped shortly before the start, the majority of drivers opted for slicks – with Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (Team Bleekemolen) in position 12 on the grid selecting rain tyres.

Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

On the partly wet track, the Dutchman fought his way through half the field in the first lap to promptly move into first place. But his blaze of glory was short-lived: The slowly drying circuit foiled any further plans.

Sharing this fate were Britain’s Nick Tandy and Frenchman Kévin Estre. The title aspirant from Konrad Motorsport and the Supercup newcomer driving for Hermes Attempto Racing had such a lively encounter in the second corner that they were thrown remorselessly to the back of the field and went home without any championship points.

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

This was particularly bitter for Nick Tandy, who as reigning vice-champion has yet to notch up a victory this season and for whom this setback is possibly decisive in his bid for the title.

René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

At the head of the pack René Rast and the first-time pole-sitter Kuba Giermaziak delivered a tough fight for victory right to the flag. Still, the Pole drove a cautious race to clinch his best Supercup result so far.

Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Britain’s Sean Edwards, who eventually brought home third in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup run by Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, posed no threat from behind.

Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Trailing the Barcelona winner, Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) secured fourth, but not before fending off a strong attack from Stefan Rosina.

Stefan Rosina (SK) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Driving for VERVA Racing, the Slovakian secured his best result to date with fifth ahead of Jeroen Bleekemolen (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit), two-time Supercup champion from the Netherlands.

Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Putting in their personal best Porsche Mobil1 Supercup performance to now at the anniversary race in the Eifel were William Langhorne and Mathias Lauda. The American, who races for SANITEC Aquiles MRS Racing, finished tenth with the Konrad Motorsport pilot from Austria and son of racing legend Niki Lauda in eleventh.

René Rast (winner):

“That was a perfect race. The conditions were unbelievably tough. First it was totally wet, then dry again. When you’re at the front it’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen. You never know what to expect in the next second. It’s a lot easier for the guys behind me. They can just wait to see what I do. Towards the end I slowed the pace a little to bring my victory home safely. With an eye on the championship, this was a great weekend for us.”

René Rast (D) –  Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Kuba Giermaziak (second):

“Congratulations to René. He drove a strong race under the most difficult conditions. As the track dried up I was quicker, in fact I could have won today. At least we had the speed. But René is not one to make silly mistakes when he’s under pressure. And I wasn’t prepared to risk anything. So now we just have to keep waiting for our first win, but I’m quite sure it’ll happen this season.”

 

Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Sean Edwards (third):

“A great race. I started from seventh on the grid and finished in third – that’s not bad under such tough conditions. In the dry we simply didn’t have the speed to attack.”

Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Race result
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 30:00.552 minutes
2. Kuba Giermaziak (PL) VERVA Racing Team, + 1.001 seconds
3. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 5.288
4. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 8.042
5. Stefan Rosina (SK), VERVA Racing Team, + 8.628
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 9.964

Drivers’ standings after 6 of 9 races*
1. René Rast (D), 105 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 90
3. Norbert Siedler A), 83
4. Nick Tandy (GB), 72
5. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), 70
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 68

* It has yet to be decided if and when there will be a replacement for the cancelled Formula 1 race in Bahrain with two rounds of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.

Round 7 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup takes place on 31 July as support to the Formula 1 race in Budapest/Hungary.

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press

 

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Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, rd 6 at the F1 race on the Nürburgring/Germany-200th anniversary race

First pole position for Kuba Giermaziak at 200th anniversary race

Stuttgart. At the 200th race in the successful history of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, Kuba Giermaziak from Poland starts from pole position on the Nürburgring on Sunday.

Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011

Kuba Giermaziak (pole-sitter):

“It couldn’t have been better. I’m so thrilled with my first pole position. But we already noticed in free practice that we had the speed. The entire team prepared everything brilliantly. The Nürburgring is my absolute favourite, in fact I’m always fast here. Achieving pole position is of course a fantastic effort. Now we will try everything to turn it into a fantastic race result.”

At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by the VERVA Racing team, he turned the fastest qualifying lap for the first time. At 21, Giermaziak is the youngest driver in the series and currently sits seventh overall in the championship.

Stefan Rosina (SK) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Türkei 2011

Stefan Rosina (2nd in qualifying):

“A huge compliment to my team. With two of us on the first two grid spots, it shows just how well we prepared. The race will certainly not be easy, after all we have a couple of hot-shots breathing hard down our necks. But first we’re going to enjoy this wonderful result and tomorrow we’ll be ready to fight for a top place.”

His teammate from Slovakia, Stefan Rosina, secured the second grid spot with a gap of 0.295 seconds for the anniversary race of the world’s fastest international one-make series and rounded off a strong team performance.

René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

René Rast (3rd in qualifying):

“I’m satisfied with third place. More important is that Nick and Sean are behind me. If I manage to beat them in the race then I can extend my points’ lead. But it looks like rain tomorrow, so in that case anything can happen.”

Behind the VERVA Racing team pilots, title defender René Rast from Germany had to settle with the third quickest time.

Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

Driving for VELTINS Lechner Racing, the current points’ leader and winner of three race this season tackles the anniversary event on the circuit in Germany’s Eifel region alongside his British opponent and title rival Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport).

Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011

Notching up the fifth fastest time, Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) secured a good starting position for Sunday, just like Patrick Huisman (Team Bleekemolen), the Supercup record winner from the Netherlands with sixth.

Patrick Huisman (NL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Türkei 2011

Sean Edwards from Great Britain had to settle for the seventh grid position. Driving for Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, the current number two in the championship faces a tough task in his bid to make a dent in the points’ difference between him and front-runner René Rast.

Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

This also applies to his teammate Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011

The double Supercup champion from the Netherlands occupies the eighth spot ahead of Supercup newcomer Kévin Estre (France) and Robert Lukas (Poland), the Hermes Attempto Racing duo.

Qualifying result
1. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, 2:01.791 minutes
2. Stefan Rosina (SK), VERVA Racing Team, + 0.295 seconds
3. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.376
4. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.433
5. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.568
6. Patrick Huisman (NL), Team Bleekemolen, + 0.801

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press

 

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Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, rd 6 at the Formula 1 race on the Nürburgring/Germany-returns for the 2nd time on July 24th

Strong rivals pursue points’ leader René Rast

René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011

Stuttgart. After a successful guest appearance at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup now returns for the second time this season to the Nürburgring on 24th July.

Panorama main entrance of Nürburgring – Photo : Holger Weinandt

It’s the 200th race in it’s successful history and rather than on the Nordschleife it takes place on the Grand Prix circuit.

But the change of track doesn’t at all faze René Rast.

“We’re doing well at the moment,” grins the points’ leader driving for the VELTINS Lechner Racing squad. “I don’t really mind where I win.”

The title defender from Germany, who celebrated the greatest success of his career with the World Cup victory, is the man to beat in the world’s fastest international one-make race series.

Start, René Rast (D) vorne – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011

His start to the season was somewhat bumpy until he turned the corner with his victory in Monaco. Recently on the storied Silverstone circuit, the home track of his arch rival Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport), he celebrated his third straight win.

This success saw his old self-confidence return:

“Earlier on we had a couple of hiccups, but now we’re back in force.”

Despite Rast’s winning streak, the fight for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup title is still wide open before the anniversary race on the Nürburgring.

René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011

Competing for the Abu Dhabi by tolimit team, Britain’s Sean Edwards secured his place amongst the hot favorites with his win in Barcelona. Although he lost the points’ lead at Silverstone, he hasn’t lost his faith in claiming the title.

“Despite this little misfiring we’re still looking good,” he says. “Now we just have to stick at it.”

Germany’s Christian Engelhart (Konrad Motorsport), winner of the season-opener in Istanbul, also has new hopes. After a lengthy lean spell he finally yielded a good result with fifth in Silverstone.

Christian Engelhart (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011

Fighting to keep up with the front-runners are two drivers that started into the season as keen title aspirants: Nick Tandy and Jeroen Bleekemolen. The Briton fell from the top of the points’ table after retiring from the Porsche Carrera World Cup. He finished four of the five rounds contested by now in second place, but is still waiting for his first win.

Ranking third overall, he needs every point to maintain his bid for the title, as does Jeroen Bleekemolen of Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, who lies behind Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) in fifth. Bleekemolen, the two-time Supercup winner from the Netherlands, experienced a slow start to the season.

With fourth place in Monaco as his best result to now he knows only too well that he has to pull out all stops if he doesn’t want to miss the championship boat.

“On the Nürburgring,” he says, “only a podium result can help. Obviously a win would be the best. But with the competition at the top so close it’s going to be tough.”

In light of the strong competition, the performance of Supercup newcomer Kévin Estre is even more remarkable. The French Hermes Attempto Racing pilot raised eyebrows in Silverstone with third in qualifying, which he turned into his best race result of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup season with fourth place.

His next goal?

“The podium,” he says confidently, “preferably on the Nürburgring.”

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TV stations Eurosport (11.45 hours) and Sky (11.40 hours) broadcast the race on the Nürburgring live on 24th July.

Moreover, Eurosport telecasts highlights at 23.00 hours in its “Motorsport Weekend Magazin” programme.

Points’ standings after 5 of 9 races*

Drivers’ classification
1. René Rast (D), 85 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 74
3. Nick Tandy (GB), 72
4. Norbert Siedler (A), 69
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 58
6. Christian Engelhart (D), 53

BBS rookie classification
1. Kévin Estre (F), 50 points

Team classification
1. VELTINS Lechner Racing, 148 points
2. Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, 130
3. Konrad Motorsport, 124

* It has yet to be decided if and when there will be a replacement for the cancelled Formula 1 race in Bahrain with two rounds of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database

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This video brings you footage about the Porsche Carrera World Cup which took place for the first time at Nürburgring. More information on http://www.porsche.com/motorsport and http://www.lemanslive.com

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Porsche Motorsport around the world – Newsletter 4 – 2011

Stuttgart. The Motorsport Newsletter regularly provides information on Porsche Motorsport around the world.

Development of an LMP1 sports prototype: Porsche returns to Le Mans Porsche returns to Le Mans with a works-run LMP1 sports prototype. The first outing of the race car developed from scratch is planned for 2014.

With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans. The last overall victory went to the Porsche 911 GT1 in the year 1998.

Porsche 911 GT1

Nürburgring 24 Hours: Porsche triumphs and sets new distance record Dramatic 24 hour sprint:

At the 39th running of the classic on the Nuerburgring-Nordschleife (25/26 June), works drivers Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas as well as Lucas Luhr took the lead with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR after 7:25 hours ahead of strong competition from Audi, BMW und Mercedes.

(l. – r.): Timo Bernhard, Lucas Luhr, Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas
P1, 24h Nürburgring

Timo Bernhard, Lucas Luhr, Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas
P1, 24h Nürburgring

The quartet fended off rivals to the flag and set a distance record of 3,958.968 kilometres. For Porsche and the Manthey Racing squad, this marked the fifth victory at the “Ring” in the last six years – the same for Timo Bernhard.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

For the innovative Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid the weekend ran less smoothly. Works drivers Joerg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer and Patrick Long led the field after four hours in front of 220,000 spectators, but spent a lot of time in the pits with a broken flange on the differential to finish 23rd.

Le Mans Series/Intercontinental Le Mans Cup: Fourth after tough struggle Works drivers Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz brought the 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Felbermayr-Proton home in fourth as the best Porsche at the third round of the LMS (3 July, 4th ILMC race) in Imola.

Team Felbermayr-Proton, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR , Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz

After being the innocent victims of two accidents in the first two races, this result was the best for the title defenders in the GTE Pro category.

Nicolas Armindo (l), Raymond Narac (r)
P1, GTE-Am, Le Mans Series Imola

Nicolas Armindo and Raymond Narac were delighted with victory number two in the GTE Am class with their 911 GT3 RSR fielded by IMSA Performance Matmut.

IMSA Performance Matmut, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Raymond Narac, Nicolas Armindo

Porsche Carrera World Cup: René Rast wins the greatest Porsche race of all time Rain, the world’s most difficult circuit and a field hailing from 25 countries: The Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nordschleife, contested prior to the 24 hour race, was not for the faint-hearted.

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

After six hours and about 150 kilometres, René Rast celebrated overall victory at the greatest Porsche race in history. In the class for 911 GT3 Cup vehicles from 2007 to 2009, Timo Rumpfkeil won.

For the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and many national Carrera Cups the race counted towards their respective championships. René Rast took home maximum points for the Supercup.

Former champion Tim Harvey was the quickest in the Carrera Cup Great Britain (13th overall). Kévin Estre won the Carrera Cup France (6th overall), Alessandro Balzan was the best Italian (12th overall) and Johan Kristoffersson the best driver from the Carrera Cup Scandinavia (25th overall).

Grand-Am: Andrew Davis and Leh Keen at the front at half-way mark After the seventh of twelve Grand-Am races, Andrew Davis and Leh Keen rank second in the GT driver’s classification. At the six hour race in Watkins Glen (4 June) the duo won their class in a Brumos Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with none other than racing legend Hurley Haywood calling the tactical shots. On the last June weekend (27 June), Davis and Keen clinched sixth in Road America.

French GT Championship: Dream weekend for Porsche teams With a double win for Patrick Bornhauser/Laurent Groppi in Larbre Compétition’s 911 GT3 R ahead of Anthony Beltoise/Laurent Pasquali in the GT3 R of Pro GT by Almeras, the fourth race weekend took off in Val de Vienne (25/26 June).

Porsche 911 GT3 R: Anthony Beltoise, Laurent Pasquali
GT Championship France, Val de Vienne

A one-two-three at race two with Beltoise/Pasquali in front of Bornhauser/Groppi and Laurent Cazenave/Jean-Claude Police in the sister Almeras-Porsche made the weekend perfect for Porsche.

Italian GT Championship: Autorlando pilot battles for points’ lead After a win and a second place at the third race weekend at the Autodromo dell Umbria near Magione (19 June), Autorlando pilot Ruberti lies a close second in the GT drivers’ classification. Ruberti shared the cockpit in Magione with his regular teammate Mario Cordoni.

Belcar Endurance Championship: Tactical brilliance yields win for Prospeed A courageous tyre choice and a perfect performance from drivers Marc Goossens and Maxime Soulet yielded the Prospeed Competition team their second win of the season at round three in Spa (18 June).

The squad sent the 911 GT3 R into the three-hour race on slicks, whilst the competition opted for rain tyres. With ten laps to go, Prospeed again made the right choice with slicks and won by more than a minute. Goossens/Soulet currently lead the driver’s classification.

British GT Championship: Victory for Trackspeed-Porsche at Brands Hatch Tim Bridgman and Gregor Fisken are the victors of the spectacular third race in Brands Hatch (19 June). A rain shower after the first half hour provided thrills and spills amongst the 30-strong field.

Bridgman and Fisken brought their Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Trackspeed home in first after two hours. Reigning champion David Ashburn was forced into retirement with a fire in the rear left wheel arch of his Porsche.

Pikes Peak Race to the Clouds: Jeff Zwart clocks record time in 911 GT2 RS At the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT2 RS, American Jeff Zwart set a record time for street homologated sports cars at the famous Pikes Peak Race to the Clouds in Colorado (26 June).

Porsche 911 GT2 RS: Jeff Zwart
Pikes Peak Race, Colorado

In the 620 hp 911, he broke the old record on the 20 kilometre track which leads over 156 corners from an altitude of 2,860 up to 4,600 metres, by 24 seconds.

Porsche 911 GT2 RS: Jeff Zwart
Pikes Peak Race, Colorado

Zwart had collected the 911 GT3 RS himself from Porsche Motorsport in California and drove the 1,770 kilometres to the start.

Carrera Cup Deutschland: Six races, six different winners Sean Edwards from Great Britain won the sixth round of the season on the rain-soaked, extremely difficult Norisring in Nuremberg (3 July) to extend his points’ lead ahead of Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Round five of the series run at the Porsche Carrera World Cup (25 June) went to Nicolas Armindo, with the Frenchman finishing fifth out of 98 starters.

Carrera Cup Japan: Hideto Yasuoka unstoppable At the fourth and fifth race of the Carrera Cup Japan on the extremely demanding Fuji International Speedway (11/12 June), Hideto Yasuoka again proved unbeatable in his class with two pole-to-flag wins.

(l.-r.): Akira Fujita, Hideto Yasuoka, Michael Green
Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, Fuji International Speedway

The talented youngster driving for the Garmin Porsche team has yet to be beaten in 2011. Akira Fujita secured second place twice.

IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama: Macneil and Cisneros win in Montreal Cooper Macneil (Alex Job Racing) celebrated his first victory in the Platinum Cup class after a rainy fifth round on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve run as support to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal (11 June), with points’ leader Henrique Cisneros retiring after a journey off the track. Gold Cup class honours went to Eduardo Cisneros after a hefty duel with the 15-year-old front-runner Madison Snow.

GT3 Cup Challenge Brasil: Rosset and Junior continue on-going duel With fading brakes, points’ leader Ricardo Rosset managed to salvage his victory at the first race in Interlagos (18 June), fending off an attack from second-placed Constantino Junior. Victory at the second race on the same day went to Junior, who had taken up the race from seventh on the grid as per the regulations. In the drivers’ classification, Rosset sits ten points ahead of Junior. The Challenge race for older 911 GT3 Cup was won by Fernando Barci.

Race notes: Pole-sitters Manuel Giao and Miguel Angel de Castro win round three of the Spanish GT Championship (19 June) on the Circuito de Albacete in the 911 GT3 RSR of the Drivex squad. +++ Gianluca Roda and Fabio Babini defend their GTS class lead at the fifth and sixth race of the International GT Open in Spa (25/26 June) with a Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Autorlando Sport.

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database

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Porsche returns to Le Mans in 2014,Development program confirmed for LMP1 sports prototype

Porsche returns to Le Mans with a works-run LMP1 sports prototype. The first outing of the completely new developed race car is planned for the year 2014. With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans

Porsche 911 GT1

With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans. The most recent win was in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1.

Porsche 911 GT1

“Motorsport was always an essential part of the Porsche brand,” emphasizes

Matthias Müller, President of the Executive Board at Porsche AG

Porsche 911 GT1

“So for us it was only a matter of time before we returned as a factory to the top league of racing. Porsche’s successes in Le Mans are unrivaled. We want to follow up on this with the 17th outright victory.”

Porsche 911 GT1

With the RS Spyder sports prototype that was run with great success from 2006 to 2008 by the factory-backed Penske Racing team in the USA and to 2010 by several customer teams worldwide, Porsche has set the benchmark recently in the LMP2 category.

Porsche RS Spyder

“With the RS Spyder we proved that our motorsport engineers in Weissach are at the forefront,” says Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG.

Porsche RS Spyder, 24h Le Mans 2009

Porsche RS Spyder, 24h Le Mans 2009

Porsche RS Spyder, 24h Le Mans 2009

Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG

Porsche RS Spyder

“For instance, we were the first to run a high-revving race engine with direct fuel injection, DFI, setting new standards in performance and efficiency. Recently, with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, we adopted a completely new drive technology for racing purposes and achieved a considerable reduction in consumption.”

Porsche RS Spyder

Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport, is already prepared for one of the most challenging development programmes in the company’s history.

Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport

“We’re looking forward to the task of developing new technologies and to continue on with the success of the Porsche RS Spyder. After the conclusion of our works-supported sports prototype programme in the American Le Mans Series we have kept up with the latest technological advances. Now we will begin with detailed research in order to evaluate the various concept alternatives for our new car. These obviously depend on how the regulations for the year 2014 look in detail. In principle, these regulations are interesting for us because the integration of our hybrid technology in the vehicle concept is one possible option.”

Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood claimed the first overall victory for Porsche in 1970 with the legendary 917 short-tail.

    Porsche 917 Kurzheck Coupé
    Porsche 917 Kurzheck Coupé

The 16th and by now last overall win was secured by Laurent Aiello, Stéphane Ortelli and Allan McNish in 1998 with the 911 GT1. In the years 2008 and 2009, the Porsche RS Spyder sports prototype won the title in the LMP2 category.

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Please find the official trailer at www.porsche.com/lemans.
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Dr. Wolfgang Porsche: “Such a success is only possible as a team” – Nürburgring 24 hour race

Nürburgring 24 hour race


Dr. Wolfgang Porsche:

“Such a success is only possible as a team”

Stuttgart. With a triumph for Porsche, the Nürburgring 24 hour race came to an end.

After 156 laps on the legendary Nordschleife, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) together with Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) won with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Manthey Racing.

For Porsche and Manthey Racing, this marks the fifth victory together in the last six years at the long distance classic in Germany’s Eifel region and for Porsche the eleventh overall victory at this race.

Quotes after the race

Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG:

“I’m overwhelmed. Such a success is only possible as a team. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this. Today, I’m especially proud because we are small but great and successful.”

Matthias Müller, CEO of the Executive Board at Porsche AG:

“This is the first time I’ve been to a 24 hour race for Porsche and I certainly hadn’t anticipated it being so emotional. It was a very great weekend for the Porsche enterprise. All the employees at the track have proven what Porsche Intelligent Performance really stands for. Thank you to all the drivers – not only to the winning troupe, but particularly to the squad in the Hybrid-Porsche. All those drivers put in an excellent effort, as well. And thanks to all those people who worked behind the scenes.”

Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG:

Wolfgang Hatz, Vorstand Forschung und Entwicklung

“I’m proud to be part of such a troupe. What we saw this weekend was an immense team effort. The winning squad virtually just refuelled and changed tyres. I promise that we will continue keeping the revs high in motorsport. There are wonderful things ahead of us. I’m looking forward to the future.”

Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport:

Hartmut Kristen, Porsche-Sportchef

“Congratulations to the crew from Manthey Racing and our staff from Weissach. They did a brilliant job and contributed greatly to our success. I’m very pleased that, after all the wrangling in the run-up, there was a clean, sporting decision on the track. Also decisive for our win was that the 911 GT3 RSR was one hundred percent reliable and we had to put in one fuel stop less than the competition. You would expect this from a Porsche. Of course, our drivers also deserve a huge compliment. Once again, they all conducted themselves faultlessly. That also applies to the quartet in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid that wasn’t able to bring home the success it deserved because of two mechanical problems and an accident. As far as pure power is concerned and with its efficiency, the car has performed as we had expected with its innovative drive concept. It’s a great shame that the results don’t reflect this.”

Marc Lieb (No. 18, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing):

Marc Lieb

“Winning this year is one of the most emotional moments of my career. We really didn’t expect to conquer here. After the difficult practices, we pulled ourselves together and said, ‘Let’s give our all’. We didn’t make any mistakes and the entire team put in a superb effort. It’s simply fantastic.”

Timo Bernhard (No. 18, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing):

Timo Bernhard

“The fifth victory at this race is something very special, especially because this year was particularly difficult. We had no other choice than to attack from the first moment. At the end of the day, everything went perfectly. My special thanks goes to our team boss Olaf Manthey. He lives for this race like no other and puts his whole heart into it year after year.”

Romain Dumas (No. 18, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing):

Romain Dumas

“My fourth win at this race was the hardest. The competition this year was tougher than ever before. We all had to give one hundred percent. We took up the race from 18th on the grid and made the most out of it. I got a fright at one point during the night when a BMW and I touched. I was really afraid that the car was damaged, because right at that point I had no radio contact and I couldn’t ask if I should come in to the pits. So I listened to the car and noticed that everything was okay. Now it’s time to celebrate.”

Lucas Luhr (No. 18, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing):

Lucas Luhr

“Our plan was to go all out during the night to get ahead. That worked. We simply had to keep the pressure on from the first to the last moment, because the competition was fierce. During one of my stints there was a slight shunt on the front left, but we taped it up and kept driving. I feel we deserved this win.”

Joerg Bergmeister (No. 9, Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey):

Joerg Bergmeister

“It was certainly one of the most difficult races of my career. The power performance and above all the efficiency of the car were great, even better than last year. It’s also so much fun to drive thanks to the Hybrid-boost. I hope we can continue working like this. And one day luck will be on our side.”

Richard Lietz (No. 9, Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey):

Richard Lietz

“The performance of our car was super, all the drivers did a great job and our mechanics put in a mammoth effort. It’s a shame that these efforts weren’t rewarded. But I’m very pleased that our squad decided to pull out all stops and get to the finish line. We owed this to our mechanics and the Porsche fans on the ‘Ring.”

Marco Holzer (No. 9, Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey):

Marco Holzer

“I reckon I was driving one of the best cars in the entire field. We always clocked good lap times. We lost the chance to win through the mechanical problems and an accident. The effort our mechanics made is something I’ve never seen before. And that’s why our goal was to never give up as long as the wheels kept turning. In this regard it’s a small consolation that we crossed the finish line after 24 hours and that we showed the Porsche fans at the track that we never give up.”

Patrick Long (No. 9, Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey):

Patrick Long

“After the flange broke we were out of the top 100 contenders but worked our way up to 28th. For me, not giving up fits in with the Porsche philosophy. I wholeheartedly congratulate our colleagues in the 911 GT3 RSR. Reliability and faultless driving was the key.”

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media database

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Porsche’s magnificent triumph at the Nordschleife 24-Hour Race Nürburgring

Nürburgring 24 hour race


Stuttgart. It was one of the most exciting and dramatic 24 hour races at the Nürburgring.

And it finished with a triumph for Porsche: In front of 220,000 spectators lining the legendary Nordschleife, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) as well as Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) won the 39th running of the long distance classic in the Eifel with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and relegated their strong opponents from BMW, Mercedes and Audi to finish down the field.


For Porsche and the Porsche Team Manthey, this marked the fifth victory at the traditional race in the last six years – likewise for Timo Bernhard.

With the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – the world’s most successful GT race car of the last years – the Porsche quartet snatched the lead on Saturday at 23.25 hours and held on to it to the flag.

What followed were 16 hours and 35 minutes at the head of the field, 108 consistently fast and faultless laps under immense pressure on one of the toughest race tracks on earth – this speaks volumes about the reliability of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and for the skill of the pilots. The new distance record set with a total of 156 laps and 3,958.968 kilometres underlines the superb effort of the winners and their team.

“We already knew before the start that we could only win if we worked together as a team, from the drivers through to the mechanics. And this worked very well for the entire time,” Timo Bernhard said. Indeed, aside from the usual tensions on the track, there was just one truly critical situation – strangely enough in the pits.

 

Lucas Luhr: “During a pit stop the petrol pump didn’t work. Fuel simply didn’t come out. So we had to push our car back to another pump and in doing so lost almost a minute.”

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid also gave an impressive performance, even though its second start at the 24 hour classic did not yield the anticipated top result.

Fielded by Porsche Team Manthey with Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria), Marco Holzer (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA), the innovative race car with its ground-breaking drive concept finished an impressive 28th after a breathtaking chase through the field, 17 laps behind the winner.

Showing its true potential, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid moved into the lead on Saturday about four hours after the start. But a broken flange in the differential sent it into the pits for repairs, which cost six laps to the leader. But the trouble wasn’t to stop there: After a good seven hours, the same problem struck again necessitating a second unplanned pit stop. This time repairs took 40 minutes. With a ten-lap gap to the front-runners, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid rejoined the race in position 105. Clocking lap times which were sometimes faster than those at the front, it ploughed through the field to rank 23rd.

However, on Sunday morning the vehicle’s charge was interrupted yet again: While lapping a slower competitor, Patrick Long was nudged and spun at high speed in the Flugplatz passage. In the pits, however, no damages to the vehicle were found.

Manned by Porsche factory pilot Wolf Henzler (Germany) as well as Peter Dumbreck (Great Britain), Martin Ragginger (Austria) and Sebastian Asch (Germany), the Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Falken Motorsports took up the race on intermediate tyres. This proved to be a good decision. Wolf Henzler made up several places before pitting after two laps once the rain had stopped to change to slicks. An engine change in the first quarter of the race robbed the team of all chances for a better result. At the flag, the Falken quartet occupied 49th. The swift lap times that the 911 GT3 R yielded after the long repair phase were, in this case, a poor consolation.

“It was somewhat frustrating to drive such great times and yet be so far down the field,” said Wolf Henzler. “Still, considering these times, the mood in the team is good. It gives us a lot of motivation. Despite everything, we’re taking home a wealth of experience from the Nürburgring.”

After a trouble-free early phase under difficult conditions, the Porsche 911 GT3 R, which Manthey Racing ran parallel to the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, was taken out of the race after a good two hours. The team wanted to concentrate on just one car. A perfect strategy that was rewarded with victory. And as Timo Bernhard crossed the finish line with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the Eifel at last showed its true sunny colours.

Result Nürburgring 24 hour race

1. Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Luhr (D/D/F/CH), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 156 laps
2. Müller/Farfus/Alzen/Lamy (D/BRA/D/P), BMW M3 GT, +4:23.7 seconds
3. Basseng/Fässler/Piccini/Stippler (D/CH/I/D), Audi R8 LMS, – 1 lap
4. Stippler/Hennerici/Haase/Winkelhock (D/D/D/D), Audi R8 LMS, – 1
5. Ekström/Scheider/Werner/Abt (S/D/D/D), Audi R8 LMS, – 2
6. Heyer/Jäger/Bleekemolen/Seyffarth (D/D/NL/D), Mercedes-Benz SLS, – 3
7. Arnold/Margaritis/Brück/Frankenhout (D/D/D/NL), Mercedes-Benz SLS, – 3
8. Farnbacher/Simonsen/Seefried/Melo (D/MC/D/I), Ferrari F 458, – 4
9. Abbelen/Schmitz/Kentenich/T. Bergmeister (D/D/D/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, – 4
10. Weiss/Kainz/Jacobs/Krumbach (D/D/D/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, – 5
28. J. Bergmeister/Lietz/Holzer/Long (D/A/D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, – 17
49. Henzler/Ragginger/Dumbreck/Asch (D/A/GB/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, – 24

SOURCE: Porsche AG Media database

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24-Hour Race Nürburgring – Interim report after 6:30 hours – problems for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid

Porsche is second best – problems for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Stuttgart. The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR by Manthey Racing runs in the 24-hour Nürburgring race continues at the forefront.

After six hours between the Porsche works driver Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) together with Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) in second place. Previously they had to not quite five hours to the forefront of the field and up to their pit stop four laps claimed the lead.


The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid rendered the endurance classic in the Eifel also been leadership. After just over four hours of the Porsche Manthey used innovative racing car was the Porsche factory drivers Jörg Bergmeister (Langenfeld), Richard Lietz (Austria), Marco Holzer (Lochau) and Patrick Long (USA) two laps ahead, before the give guidance for a scheduled pit stops needed.

After presumably at a contact with a competitor, a flange of the differential was broken, had the 911 GT3 R Hybrid to the pits for repairs and lost by six laps on the top.


At the Porsche 911 GT3 R, the shares Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Peter Dumbreck (UK), Martin Ragginger (Austria) and Sebastian Asch (Germany), the engine was replaced. Parallel to the Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 911 GT3 R was used for a smooth start-up phase after two hours taken out of the race as scheduled, so the team can concentrate on one car.

Voices of the driver

Martin Ragginger (No. 44 Porsche 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports):

“We were really good at racing and have in the initial phase is not too much risk. Too bad that we have now lost so much time. But we go further and see how far we can still come forward. “

Timo Bernhard (No. 18 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing):

“My stint was no problem. It was mainly in the central part of the route many places where yellow flags were waved and I had to drive slowly in order to not risk a fine sport. “

Lucas Luhr (# 18, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing):

“At the pit stop the fuel pump did not work the Nurburgring. There simply was no gasoline. So we had to push the car to another column and have thus lost almost a minute. “

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SOURCE: Porsche Media database
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Nürburgring 24 hour race – Interim report after 2 hours-Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid in second place

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid in second place

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Haribo Team Manthey (8): Richard Westbrock, Christian Menzel, Mike Stursberg, Hans Guido Riegel – Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid (9): Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Stuttgart. The Porsche teams have made a good start to the Nürburgring 24 hour race.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Haribo Team Manthey: Richard Westbrock, Christian Menzel, Mike Stursberg, Hans Guido Riegel

After just over two hours and 17 laps on the legendary Eifel circuit, the innovative Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid fielded by the Porsche Team Manthey lies in second place.

24-Stunden-Rennen Nürburgring

24-Stunden-Rennen Nürburgring

Start driver was Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), who shares the cockpit with his Porsche works driver colleagues Richard Lietz (Österreich), Marco Holzer (Lochau) und Patrick Long (USA). The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Manthey Racing with Porsche factory pilots Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) as well as Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) follow directly behind in third place.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Pinta Racing (27): Michael Illbruck, Manuel Lauck, Jörg van Ommen, Altfrid Heger – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S, H&R Spezialfedern (31): Jürgen Alzen, Artur Deutgen, Klaus Ludwig, Sascha Bert

Sitting 12th is the Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by the Haribo Team Manthey with Richard Westbrook (Great Britain), Christian Menzel (Germany), Mike Stursberg (Germany) and Hans Guido Riegel (Germany).

24-Stunden-Rennen Nürburgring

The Porsche 911 GT3 R of Falken Motorsports, manned by Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) as well as Peter Dumbreck (Great Britain), Martin Ragginger (Austria) and Sebastian Asch (Germany) currently ranks 15th.

Quotes from the drivers

Marc Lieb (No. 18, 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing):

“In the first lap it was rather difficult on slicks, but from the second lap onwards it has proved to be the right choice. Unfortunately I lost a lot of time behind a competitor who was zig-zagging over the track to prevent me from passing although I was faster. Otherwise, the car’s running well.”

Joerg Bergmeister (No. 9, 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey):

“The first two laps with slicks on the wet surface were a little critical. But then the ideal line dried and from then on the driving was superb. We obviously had a little luck with our decision not to start on wet tyres, because it could have started to rain again.”

Wolf Henzler (No. 44, 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports):

“We decided to start on intermediate tyres and that was good in the beginning, I made up some places. But on lap two my right front tyres began to scrape and there was a little smoke. To be on the cautious side I drove into the pits. But basically everything was okay, we changed to slicks and I rejoined the race. It drizzled for a short spell and the track became slippery again. The traffic is heavy, above all it’s hard to anticipate what the many slower drivers are going to do. It was agreed that they should blink to show the faster ones what their intentions are. But that happens seldomly.”

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Source/photos: Porsche AG database

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Porsche Carrera World Cup at the Nürburgring – René Rast triumphs at greatest Porsche race in history

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

René Rast triumphs at greatest Porsche race in history

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Stuttgart. It is the greatest success of his career: On the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, René Rast won the Porsche Carrera World Cup – the greatest Porsche race in history with 100 competitors from 25 countries.

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

In a gripping duel for victory on the wet time-honoured track, the German put in a strong drive for his VELTINS Lechner Racing squad, relegating his Austrian team mate Norbert Siedler to second place with a gap of 1.9 seconds. Third place went to Germany’s Lance David Arnold driving for the Motopark Oschersleben team.

Norbert Siedler (A), René Rast (D), Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Norbert Siedler (A), René Rast (D), Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Norbert Siedler (A), René Rast (D), Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

The inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup was a huge success. Drivers raved about the challenge of one of the world’s most beautiful race tracks, as well as the excellent organization of this record-breaking event and fans experienced one-make racing at its best.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board at Porsche AG, who visited the Eifel race with other board members. “I’ve only heard positive things from the race drivers, and we’re already fielding the first questions about doing it again. As far as I’m concerned I don’t see why not, but we should order better weather.”

Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development, added: “I was particularly fascinated to see 100 of these wonderful Cup-911s competing and the incredibly exciting fight at the front. And all this under extremely difficult conditions. It was unparalleled. The images that we’ve sent around the world are certainly unique.”

The greatest Porsche race of all time was also a logistical challenge: Tyre partner Michelin supplied 550 slicks and 550 wet tyres to the Eifel, where the world’s best Porsche Cup pilots delivered an unprecedented power play. Not only the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, but also the well-supported Porsche Carrera Cups of Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Scandinavia counted this race of records as championship rounds of their respective series and sent their stars to compete.

Start:
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Not surprisingly, right from the start, the competition was fierce on the 25.380 kilometre Nordschleife with the field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup all racing with engine oil from Mobil 1. With torrential rain adding to the pilots’ difficulties which only stopped after the first half of the race, pole-sitter Norbert Siedler got away well after the flying start to take the lead. But in the first lap René Rast slipped past his team mate and never looked back.

However, for the reigning champion of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, his bid for the most prestigious win of the year was not a walk in the park. On the contrary: Not only did Norbert Siedler make fierce attacks on the front-runner over the course of the race, with Siedler just 0.3 seconds shy of the leader after four of six laps.

Britain’s Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) also wanted to make his mark early on – but risked too much: In an attempt to snatch second place from Norbert Siedler in the Aremberg passage he braked too late, took a journey into the grass with two wheels and slid into the barriers.

A similar fate befell seasoned Porsche Cup campaigner Uwe Alzen (Germany): As one of the great favourites, he lost contact to the lead in the first lap and ultimately had to give up all hopes when he came in to the pits after losing a wheel in a major off.

Pilots contesting the Category 2 with Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars from 2007 to 2009 also delivered breathtaking duels. Prevailing in the end was Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Oschersleben), a driver who normally stands behind the pit wall as team boss of the VERVA Racing Team in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.

Like René Rast as winner of Category 1, Rumpfkeil receives 11,000 Euro in prize money and a valuable watch from premium manufacturer Tudor.

The fight for victory continued to provide thrilling racing. Now it was Lance David Arnold who ensured that the leading duo didn’t feel too secure. The German used his wealth of Nordschleife experience to negotiate the most spectacular overtaking manoeuvre of the entire race, inching past Britain’s Sean Edwards to clinch third and celebrate his greatest success of the season so far.

At the flag, only 3.6 seconds separated him from victory. That Norbert Siedler experienced a moment fright in the closing phase of the race was of his own doing. While hunting the leader, the Austrian suddenly found himself with two wheels off the track in the Brünnchen passage but managed to quickly stave off trouble with his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Others weren’t so lucky – only 86 competitors saw the flag.

Amongst those who retired were two princes:

For Carl Philip Bernadotte, son of Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, the wet Nordschleife proved to be slippery turf, as it was for Abdulaziz Al Faisal, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family.

New Zealander Craig Baird, the world’s most successful Porsche makes cup driver with 109 victories, occupied 38th place in the VIP-911 of Porsche AG.

With the VIP-car fielded by Porsche Cars North America, Melanie Snow (USA), the ‘world’s fastest mum”, did not see the flag at her first race on the Nordschleife.

René Rast (winner):

“It’s an indescribable feeling to have won the greatest Porsche race of all time. After the start I managed to overtake Norbert in the first lap and then tried to control the race. The key to success today was that I made not one mistake. Conditions were tough out there in the rain, particularly because I’ve never driven the Porsche on the Nordschleife in the wet. It was difficult to evaluate the grip level hence I was a little cautious at the start.”

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Norbert Siedler (second):

“It’s fantastic to be second at this incredible race. René was a tad quicker than me at the start and promptly overtook me. Later I was the faster one but it simply wasn’t prudent to try to get past him. So I decided to bring home a safe second rather than risk coming home empty-handed.”

Norbert Siedler (A)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Lance David Arnold (third):

“That was the most awesome race I’ve ever contested. It was incredible fun driving the Cup-Porsche on the Nordschleife – in the rain. That’s racing at its best! Overtaking Sean Edwards was not without risk. I almost took a trip onto the grass. But I couldn’t resist giving it a go and my chance came on the Döttinger Höhe where it dips down. From eighth at the grid to third at the flag – I’m over the moon.”

Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Sean Edwards new points’ leader

Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

The title defender is on the upswing:

René Rast celebrated his second win of the season after Monaco with VELTINS Lechner Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

In the overall ranking, he now sits second after a slow start to the season behind Sean Edwards (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit). The Britain nudged his compatriot Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) off the top of the points’ table. In a courageous overtaking attempt in the wet, Tandy left the track, slid into the crash barriers and went home empty-handed.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: First win of the season for Nicolas Armindo

Nicolas Armindo (F)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

He has waited long for this success: After winning the title last year, bad luck plagued Nicolas Armindo in his first races of the year. With his first Carrera Cup victory scored at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, the Frenchman has made an impressive comeback for his Hermes Attempto Racing squad. The title fight in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland remains tense. Each of the five rounds to date has yielded a different winner. The new points’ leader is again Sean Edwards of Team Deutsche Post by tolimit.

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Overall result Porsche Carrera World Cup
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 1:00:48.621 hours
2. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 1.9 seconds
3. Lance David Arnold (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 3.6
4. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 18.0
5. Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 29.8
6. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 33.4
7. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 37.0
8. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 39.6
9. Patrick Huisman (NL), Team Bleekemolen, + 42.1
10. Stefan Rosina (SK), VERVA Racing Team, + 1:10.8 minutes

Result Category 1
(Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from 2010 and 2011)
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 1:00:48.621 hours
2. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 1.9 seconds
3. Lance David Arnold (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 3.6

Result Category 2
(Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from 2007 to 2009)
1. Timo Rumpfkeil (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 1:02:4 minutes
2. Sveinung Tinnes Mork (N), Team Sveinung Tinnes Mork, + 1:04.1
3. Chris Harris (GB), Team Parker Racing, + 1:05.5

Class winners
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing (overall classification 1st place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland
Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing (overall classification 5th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Tim Harvey (GB), Nationwide/Motorbase (overall classification 13th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup France
Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing (overall classification 6th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Italia
Alessandro Balzan (I), Ebimotors (overall classification 12th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia
Johan Kristoffersson (S), Kristoffersson Motorsport (overall classification 25th place)

Source: Porsche AG Media database

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Porsche Carrera World Cup at the Nürburgring – Historic pole position for Norbert Siedler

Norbert Siedler (A)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Stuttgart. Norbert Siedler takes up the eagerly anticipated premiere of the Porsche Carrera World Cup on Saturday on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife from pole position.

Norbert Siedler (A)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

At the fiercely contested qualifying session that delivered suspense from start to finish and determines the grid for the greatest Porsche race in history with competitors from 25 countries, the Austrian planted his VELTINS Lechner Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on pole.

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Just 0.403 seconds shy of the fastest qualifier came his team mate René Rast (Germany) on the second grid spot.

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Third went to VERVA Racing team’s pilot Kuba Giermaziak from Poland with a gap of 0.63 seconds.

Kuba Giermaziak (PL)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011

Kuba Giermaziak (PL)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Changes at the top came thick and fast in the final 15 minutes of the qualifying on the legendary Eifel circuit. Renè Rast, the reigning champion of the Supercup, seemed to have the top time under his belt. His arch rival from Britain Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) lay in second place.

Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011

Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

But then Norbert Siedler put in a perfect lap shortly before the end of the session, with Kuba Giermaziak following suit, effectively relegating Nick Tandy, the current points’ leader of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, to fourth place on the grid.

The third row is occupied by Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland pilot Nicki Thiim from Denmark (Hermes Attempto Racing)

Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

and Christian Engelhart from Germany,

Christian Engelhart (D)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Türkei 2011

who has already yielded a victory for his Konrad Motorsport squad at the season-opening round of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup in Istanbul.

Sean Edwards from Great Britain (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit) qualified seventh,

Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

with Germany’s Lance David Arnold (Motopark Oschersleben) in eighth.

Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

The seasoned campaigner of Porsche makes cup, Uwe Alzen from Germany (PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive), and Frenchman Nicolas Armindo (Hermes Attempto Racing), the reigning champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, rounded off the top ten. The fierceness of the competition for the top grid positions was shown in the fact that less than ten seconds separated the first 17 positions on the 25.358 kilometre Nürburgring-Nordschleife.

In the VIP-car of Porsche AG, New Zealander Craig Baird, the most successful Porsche Cup pilot worldwide with 109 wins in Porsche brand trophy series, claimed the 31st spot.

Craig Baird (NZ)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Craig Baird (NZ)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

America’s Melanie Snow, the only female in the field, moved up the field in the VIP-car fielded by Porsche Cars North America to rank 84th.

Melanie Snow (USA)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

Melanie Snow (USA)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011

The inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup is also the official championship round for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup as well as the Porsche Carrera Cups of Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Scandinavia.

Below are the pole-setters of their respective series.

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Norbert Siedler (1st place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: Nicki Thiim (5th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain: James Sutton (17th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup France: Lonni Martins (51st place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Italy: Marco Mapelli (19th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia: Robin Rudholm (18th place)

Result Qualifying
1. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 8:35.809 minutes
2. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.403 seconds
3. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 0.663
4. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 3.002
5. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 3.834
6. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 4.756
7. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 5.366
8. Lance David Arnold (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 5.945
9. Uwe Alzen (D), PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, + 6.397
10. Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 6.893

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Source: Porsche AG Media database
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Best Porsche in the fourth grid row – Nürburgring 24 hour race

Nürburgring 24 hour race

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Stuttgart. As the best-placed Porsche team, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) take up the 24 hour race on Saturday with Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) from the fourth grid row. At the wheel of Manthey Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R, they concluded the final qualifying for the long distance classic in the Eifel on eighth place.

Motorsports / 24h-Rennen Nuerburgring Nordschleife, Motorsports / 24h-Rennen Nuerburgring Nordschleife – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing: Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

Motorsports / 24h-Rennen Nuerburgring Nordschleife, 18, Manthey Racing GmbH III, Porsche – 911 GT3 R, Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Marco Holzer
Motorsports / 24h-Rennen Nuerburgring Nordschleife,9, Porsche Team Manthey, Porsche – 911 GT3 R, E1-XP Hybrid, Joerg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

The further-developed Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid (Version 2.0) with drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria), Marco Holzer (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) posted the eleventh quickest time. The Porsche works drivers were able to improve on their first qualifying session by three places, but the gap to the top was just over seven seconds.
Motorsports / 24h-Rennen Nuerburgring Nordschleife, 11 Manthey Racing GmbH III, Porsche – 911 GT3 R, Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

On the 16th grid spot are Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Lucas Luhr in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that the Manthey Racing team fields parallel to the 911 GT3 R.

Directly behind them is Porsche factory pilot Wolf Henzler (Germany) as well as Peter Dumbreck (Great Britain), Martin Ragginger (Austria) and Sebastian Asch (Germany) in the Porsche 911 GT3 R of Falken Motorsports on position 17.

Comments from the drivers

Marc Lieb (No. 11/18, Manthey Racing):

“I drove the GT3 today but didn’t manage to find an optimal lap because I had to wait too long at the pit lane exit and was therefore too late. All in all I have to say that I couldn’t do much more. But we now have 24 hours ahead of us.”

Timo Bernhard (No. 11/18 Manthey Racing):

“I only conducted function tests after changing crucial components like the engine and gearbox. It was all good. The car feels great.”

Romain Dumas (No. 11/18, Manthey Racing):

“Our timing wasn’t perfect. When we wanted to push, it started to rain. But we’ve made huge progress in our set-up and that was our main goal for today. It’ll be a long race and anything can happen.”

Joerg Bergmeister (No. 9, Porsche Team Manthey):

“We obviously made the right decision and went for top times when it was dry right from the start. It worked and I got in a clear lap. Our car is handling very well.”

Richard Lietz (No. 9, Porsche Team Manthey):

“Overnight we changed the engine and gearbox and ran in the new parts. The conditions were quite difficult out there because sections of the track were either dry, damp or wet.”

Wolf Henzler (No. 44, Falken Motorsports):

“First we had to run in all the new parts for the race, the engine, gearbox, brake pads and so on. When I wanted to go out for my fast lap it began to rain. At the entrance to the Nordschleife I began to slide on all four wheels and had to abandon my lap. When we tried again towards the end of the session the track was still partly wet and then I encountered a car sideways in front of me and had to brake hard. It’s a shame, I could have done better.”

The 24 hour race takes off on Saturday at 16.00 hours. TV station Sport1 intermittently broadcasts more than 13 hours of the race live on Saturday (from 15.45 hours) and Sunday (17.00 hours). A one-hour highlight programme is televised on Sunday at 22.30 hours.

Result Qualifying
1. Farnbacher/Simonsen/Seefried/Melo (D/MC/D/I), Ferrari F 458, 8:23.764 minutes
2. Mamerow/Hahne/Kaffer (D/D/CH), Mercedes-Benz SLS, + 1.897 seconds
3. Heyer/Jäger/Bleekemolen/Seyffarth (D/D/NL/D), Mercedes-Benz SLS, + 3.016
4. Müller/Werner/Adorf/Lamy (D/D/D/P), BMW M3 GT, + 3.666
5. Müller/Farfus/Alzen/Lamy (D/BRA/D/P), BMW M3 GT, +4.151
6. Arnold/Margaritis/Brück/Frankenhout (D/D/D/NL), Mercedes-Benz SLS, + 4.503
8. Lieb/Luhr/Bernhard/Dumas (D/CH/D/F), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 5.027
11. Bergmeister/Lietz/Holzer/Long (D/A/D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, + 7.087
16. Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Luhr (D/D/F/CH), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 8.315
17. Henzler/Dumbreck/Ragginger/Asch (D/GB/A/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 8.485

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Source: Porsche AG Media database
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Rock legend Udo Lindenberg at the Porsche press conference on the Nürburgring

Udo Lindenberg

“The Porsche boys will swing this thing”

Stuttgart. At the Porsche press conference held on the day before the Porsche Carrera World Cup and the Nürburgring 24 hour race, Porsche head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen and Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard fielded questions from journalists.

Porsche head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen

Joining them in the Porsche Media Lounge at the Nürburgring were Melanie Snow and Craig Baird,

Craig Baird and Melanie Snow

the drivers of the VIP-cars at the Porsche Carrera World Cup – and as star guest, rock legend Udo Lindenberg.

This is what they said…

Hartmut Kristen on the further-developed Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid:

“The main priority for us was about improving efficiency. We reached this goal through targeted optimisation of the hybrid components. We reduced the weight by 50 kilograms, at the same time increasing the performance of the two electric motors from 60 to 75 kilowatts each. All of this was with the objective of improving the efficiency.”

Timo Bernhard on his second 24 hour race in two weeks:

“It’s quite exhausting obviously, but we’re trained for it. That’s our job. Both Le Mans and the Nordschleife are unbelievably demanding circuits. We’re driving both the 911 GT3 R and the 911 GT3 RSR here. The race cars are not that different in their handling, they’re both 911s after all. The 911 GT3 R is built more for top speed, the 911 GT3 RSR for more downforce. Because the competition is incredibly strong this year, our team boss Olaf Manthey decided that we should test both vehicles and then decide which one we’ll finally drive for the race. Many regard us as favourites because we won four consecutive times between 2006 and 2009. As far as I’m concerned, the most important factors are the reliability and speed of the 911 as well as having Olaf Manthey as an ingenious team boss and strategist. He lives only three kilometres away from the track and knows it and the Eifel like no other.”

Melanie Snow on her first Nordschleife race:

“Without doubt, the Porsche Carrera World Cup will be the highlight of my career. I have a great deal of respect for this circuit. You need a lot of courage on the Nordschleife to be truly fast. I will do my best and I’m very happy that Porsche Cars North America sent me here. I’ll certainly be sure to enjoy every moment.”

Craig Baird about the Porsche Carrera World Cup:

“I’ve won 109 Cup races by now, and everyone of course asks me whether this fantastic race will be the 110th. To be honest, even for me as an experienced pilot, it’ll be very difficult to match the boys who have grown up on this circuit. I was last here three years ago and I have turned just four laps in practice. Four laps in three years – that’s not exactly a lot. But I’m very much looking forward to the race and I’m proud that Porsche AG has entrusted me with the VIP-car.”

Udo Lindenberg on the 24 hour race and the fascination of Porsche:

“I bought my first Porsche in 1973 in Hamburg and spent all of my earnings from my first big gig. I’ve never regretted it, on the contrary: For me, Porsche embodies passion in its most beautiful form and I’m pleased that Porsche also leads in environmental matters with the hybrid car. We have to get the emissions down, that much is certain. And of course I hope the car wins the race. This is my first time here and I find it totally awesome. I’ve got my fingers crossed for the Porsche boys, they’ll swing this thing.”

 

Joerg Bergmeister, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long, and Richard Lietz with Udo Lindenberg with a Likörell painting he did to be auctioned for his charity project

At the press conference, Udo Lindenberg unveiled his own painting with the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, entitled:

Udo Lindenberg with a Likörell painting he did to be auctioned for his charity project

“Porsche Panic Power”. This picture will be auctioned on the internet under www.porsche.com with the proceeds going to the Udo Lindenberg charity for child aid projects in Africa.

Udo Lindenberg with a Likörell painting he did to be auctioned for his charity project

 

Source: Porsche AG Media database

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Porsche Factory Drivers thrill fans with 1st Hybrid before start of 24 hour Nürburgring

Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus” thrilled fans at the Nurburgring

Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus”, Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz, Jörg Bergmeister, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long (l-r)

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Stuttgart. Two days before the start of the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring, Porsche turned back the clock. At exactly 111 years.

Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus”, Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz, Jörg Bergmeister, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long (l-r)

The motor sport fans in the Eifel region were presented with the Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus”, developed in 1900 by Ferdinand Porsche, as the first functional vehicle with full hybrid propulsion.

Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus”, Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz, Jörg Bergmeister (rear from left), Marco Holzer, Patrick Long (front from left))

With the faithfully reconstructed ancestor of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, the Porsche Factory Drivers Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Patrick Long and Marco Holzer  drove the Hybrid among the 24-hour Nürburgring fans to the Porsche autograph session – almost silently, because the hybrid is all-electric.

Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus” with Porsche factory drivers

Ferdinand Porsche, the visionary of his time entered a new technical ground with the construction of “Semper Vivus”. The drive concept of the brilliant designer and pioneer, has been taken up by Porsche with the development of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, thus ushered in over a year ago as a new chapter in history of the Porsche 911.

Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus” with Porsche factory drivers

Porsche GT3 R Hybrid’s  first race in the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring in 2010 made worldwide headlines: eight hours into the race at the forefront of the field on victory course, was an impressive example of the ” Porsche Intelligent Performance ” More power on less fuel, more efficiency and lower CO2 emissions – on the racetrack and on the road.

Lohner Porsche “Semper Vivus”

Despite the much lower speed to drive the first hybrid car, is no less strenuous than full throttle on the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the 911 GT3 R hybrid. With a front axle weight of 1,060 kilograms – 830 kilograms  – and the steering without power assistance is hard work. But the Porsche drivers are well trained – and met with much applause by fans during the demonstration drive.

Source: Porsche AG Media database

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PORSCHE MOTORSPORTS: Nürburgring 24 hour race – Smooth first qualifying for Porsche teams

 

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Stuttgart. The Porsche teams are in a good position for Friday’s final qualifying for the 24 hour race.

Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing: Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

With the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Manthey Racing, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) together with Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) posted sixth place. The quartet won the 24 hour race four times straight from 2006 to 2009.

Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing: Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing: Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing: Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Manthey Racing: Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Lucas Luhr

The seventh quickest time was claimed by Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany), Peter Dumbreck (Great Britain), Martin Ragginger (Austria) and Sebastian Asch (Germany) in the 911 GT3 R of Falken Motorsport.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports: Wolf Henzler, Peter Dumbreck, Martin Ragginger, Sebastian Asch

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports: Wolf Henzler, Peter Dumbreck, Martin Ragginger, Sebastian Asch

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports: Wolf Henzler, Peter Dumbreck, Martin Ragginger, Sebastian Asch

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports: Sebastian Asch, Martin Ragginger

Richard Westbrook (Great Britain), Christian Menzel (Germany), Mike Stursberg (Germany) and Hans Guido Riegel (Germany) planted their Haribo Team Manthey 911 GT3 R on the tenth grid spot.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Haribo Team Manthey: Richard Westbrook, Christian Menzel, Mike Stursberg, Hans-Guido Riegel

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Haribo Team Manthey: Richard Westbrook, Christian Menzel, Mike Stursberg, Hans-Guido Riegel

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Haribo Team Manthey: Richard Westbrook, Christian Menzel, Mike Stursberg, Hans-Guido Riegel

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Haribo Team Manthey: Richard Westbrook, Christian Menzel, Mike Stursberg, Hans-Guido Riegel

Fielded by Porsche Team Manthey, the further-developed Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid (Version 2.0) with its innovative hybrid drive was not able to match the pace of the fastest vehicles after its performance was capped recently by the organizers.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey: Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer, Patrick Long

Moreover, Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) had to contend with heavy traffic during his fastest lap and only managed 18th. He shares the cockpit of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid with his factory pilot colleagues Richard Lietz (Austria), Marco Holzer (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA).

The second and final qualifying takes place on Friday from 16.55 to 18.55 hours.

The 24 hour race gets underway on Saturday at 16.00 hours. Television station Sport1 intermittently broadcasts more than 13 hours of the race live on Saturday (from 15.45 hours) and Sunday (from 07.00 hrs). A one-hour highlight program of the race is televised on Sunday at 22.30 hours.

Quotes from the drivers

Marc Lieb (No. 18, Manthey Racing):

Marc Lieb

“We changed the set-up of our car during the qualifying and turned the fastest lap 40 minutes before the end. Now we’re happy with everything. If it stays dry for tomorrow’s final qualifying session we’ll attack again.”

Joerg Bergmeister (No. 9, Porsche Team Manthey):

Joerg Bergmeister

“We didn’t really expect to actually do well. We could have been a bit faster but the heavy traffic prevented a better time.”

Wolf Henzler (No. 44, Falken Motorsports):

Wolf Henzler

“We’re satisfied with our set-up. The track conditions were very good with loads of grip. Martin Ragginger went out first and set our best time. Still, we’re more than eight seconds shy of the quickest vehicle.”

Richard Lietz (No. 9, Porsche Team Manthey):

Richard Lietz

“The lengthy qualifying today was a good chance to familiarize myself with the car and to get a good feeling for driving at the limit. The character of our rolling race lab is somewhat different to the 911 GT3 RSR that I drove in Le Mans two weeks ago.”

(Marco Holzer No. 9, Porsche Team Manthey):

Marco Holzer

“I got four yellow flags while I was out on the track. It’s not easy to get a free lap. We worked some more on our race set-up and tried to bring the tyres up to the optimal temperature. Driving on the Nordschleife at night is exhausting, you first have to get back the feeling for it.”

Patrick Long (No. 9, Porsche Team Manthey):

Patrick Long

“Yesterday I drove in the rain for the first time on the Nordschleife and that is something quite special. Our car is well balanced and I’m very happy about that. Regardless of whether it rains during the race or stays dry, I’m feeling well prepared.”

Result 1st Qualifying

1. Farnbacher/Simonsen/Seefried/Melo (D/MC/D/I, Ferrari F 458, 8:23.764 minutes
2. Heyer/Jäger/Bleekemolen/Seyffarth (D/D/NL/D), Mercedes-Benz SLS, + 6.617 seconds
3. Mamerow/Hahne/Kaffer (D/D/CH), Mercedes-Benz SLS, + 7,193
4. Ekström/Scheider/Werner/Abt (S/D/D/D), Audi R8 LMS, + 7,772
5. Roloff/Rehfeld/Haupt/Schelp (D/D/D/D), Mercedes-Benz SLS, + 7,780
6. Lieb/Luhr/Bernhard/Dumas (D/CH/D/F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 8,315
7. Henzler/Dumbreck/Ragginger/Asch (D/GB/A/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 8,485
10. Westbrook/Menzel/Stursberg/Riegel (GB/D/D/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 11,097
13. Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Luhr (D/D/F/CH), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 11,918
14. Bergmeister/Lietz/Holzer/Long (D/A/D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, + 12,090

Source: Porsche AG Media database

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Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring 24 hour – The race of records


Stuttgart. Motorsport fans around the world wait in eager anticipation for the 25th of June, 2011.

On this day, Porsche adds yet another superlative to the history of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife: At the Porsche Carrera World Cup, more than 100 participants from 25 countries contest the greatest Porsche race of all time on the legendary race track that is also dubbed the ‘green hell’.

Nürburgring circuit map, taken at German Grand Prix 1964; the legend advises…

“No driving in the Eifel (mountains) without a lap on the Nürburgring”

The race on the legendary circuit in Germany’s Eifel region with a total of 88 corners (northern loop plus the Grand Prix circuit) runs over six laps (152.268 kilometres), and is not just a case for the ‘Guinness Book of Records’.

It also poses the greatest sporting challenge imaginable for Porsche Cup pilots.

“The Nordschleife is a very tricky track,” says Uwe Brettel, General Manager Motorsport Sales at Porsche.

He sums up the fascination of this race aptly:

“The Carrera World Cup is the link between two very successful motorsport platforms: Porsche’s one-make race series and the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.”

The Porsche Carrera World Cup, which takes off just prior to the 24 hour race, is not only unique because of its giant grid, but also because of the sporting significance. Quantity and quality – that was the whole idea. And it worked: The Porsche Mobil1 Supercup as the world’s fastest international one-make race series, and the well-supported Carrera Cups in Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Scandinavia count this event as one of their regular championship rounds. Drivers will be classified for their respective series as well as for the Porsche Carrera World Cup. Also joining the action are guest drivers from other Carrera Cups and GT3 Cup Challenges around the world.

One of the most prominent competitors is Craig Baird.

Over the course of his outstanding career, the New Zealander has notched up 109 victories in Porsche one-make race series, making him the most successful Porsche Cup pilot in the world. Porsche AG invited him back to the Nordschleife, which he knows from two 24 hour races there, to drive the VIP-car with the starting number 200.

Craig Baird (NZ)

His Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is also a feast for the eyes. Its design is an artistic interpretation of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife as the ‘green hell’ with licking flames as well as a stylized world map representing the 25 nations from which the international grid comes to contest the greatest Porsche race on earth.

At the wheel of the second VIP-911 fielded by Porsche Cars North America, Melanie Snow celebrates her race debut on the Eifel circuit.

Melanie Snow (USA)

The mother of four is one of the most well-known racers in the USA and for many years has contested the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge where she won the Gold Cup class in 2009. At the Porsche Carrera World Cup the ‘world’s fastest mum’ is the only female in the field.

The field is divided into two classes: The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with 3.6-litre engines from the 2007 to 2009 model years (400 to 420 hp) as well as the 3.8-litre version from the 2010 and 2011 model years (450 hp) are classified separately. Two sets of slicks and one set of wet tyres are permitted for each vehicle for the entire race weekend.

The starting groups, consisting of a maximum of 70 vehicles per group, take off on their journey into the “Green Hell” with a flying start (Indianapolis start). About two minutes separate each group.

So that the spectators can better recognize the vehicles, all start numbers have three-digits. The first numeral stands for the respective series from which the cars come. 0 stands for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, the number 1 for the Carrera Cup France, the number 2 for the Carrera Cup Deutschland, number 3 for the Carrera Cup and the GT3 Cup Challenge Great Britain, 4 for the Carrera Cup Italia and 5 for the Carrera Cup Scandinavia. The second and third numerals are the original starting numbers with which the individual cars contest their respective series.

Prize money for the overall winner is 11,000 Euro. Second place receives 8,000 Euro, third 6,000 Euro.

“Since its market launch in 1998 we’ve built more than 2,200 units of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup which are fielded in 20 one-make race series worldwide,” says Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “With the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nordschleife, we want to offer our brand trophy series customers worldwide another highlight.”

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Nick Tandy hopes for first win of the season

Nick Tandy tackles the Porsche Carrera World Cup as the leader of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the Briton has notched up three second places this season, but is now hoping to bring home his first victory from the demanding Nordschleife.

Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011

Last year’s vice-champion has prepared himself well for the race, however the three winners of this season are experienced Nordschleife pilots: For his teammate Christian Engelhart, winner of the season-opener in Istanbul, the Eifel circuit is no less familiar turf as it is for Barcelona winner Sean Edwards of Abu Dhabi by tolimit

Sean Edwards (GB)

and the VELTINS Lechner Racing pilot and reigning Supercup champion René Rast, who dominated at the Monaco round.

René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands is also very much looking forward to the Porsche Carrera World Cup.

“This race is a great idea,” says the two-time Supercup winner driving for the Abu Dhabi by tolimit squad. Bleekemolen has yet to secure a victory this season. “If you want to be seriously fast on the Nordschleife you need to be gutsy. But that’s exactly what race drivers love. For me, this race marks the greatest challenge of the year.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 01 Hockenheimring 2011

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: Ideal start to the season

Unlike in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, Nick Tandy has already notched up one win from the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland this year – the points’ leader kicked off the new season perfectly with victory at the season-opener in Hockenheim. Jeroen Bleekemolen has also enjoyed a promising start: Competing for the Deutsche Post by tolimit team, the Dutchman won his home race in Zandvoort.

His compatriot Jaap van Lagen (Land Motorsport), winner at Spielberg,

Jaap van Lagen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 02 Zandvoort 2011

and Denmark’s Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing), who last weekend celebrated his first Carrera Cup victory on the Lausitzring, are all determined to earn more championship points at the Porsche Carrera World Cup.

Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Despite not having notched up any wins yet, Germany’s seasoned campaigner Uwe Alzen (PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive) belongs to the circle of favorites to win at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, thanks to his extensive Nordschleife experience.

Uwe Alzen (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 02 Zandvoort 2011

“I’ve already driven the Cup-Porsche on the Nordschleife and the handling of the car is very good,” says Uwe Alzen, an authority on Porsche one-make race series. “It’s going to be tight amongst the front-runners and facing so many good pilots at the top will be a tough nut to crack.”

Another race favorite is the Schnabl Engineering pilot from Austria, Martin Ragginger.

Martin Ragginger (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 02 Zandvoort 2011

Schedule Porsche Carrera World Cup

Thursday, 23 June 18.00 – 19.00 hrs Free practice
Friday, 24 June 15.25 – 16.25 hrs Qualifying
Saturday, 25 June 10.30 – 11.00 hrs Grid line-up
11.00 hrs Formation lap
11.20 – 12.35 hrs Race

TV station Eurosport broadcasts the Porsche Carrera World Cup on 25 June 2011 live from 10.45 hrs.

Source: Porsche Press Media Database

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Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland race report: Nicki Thiim narrowly wins turbulent race!

Start: Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, round 4 on the Lausitzring

Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Nicki Thiim narrowly wins turbulent race

Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Stuttgart. Fourth race, fourth winner – and 24 laps of high suspense: The Lausitzring race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland was a real thriller. Cup-returnee Nicki Thiim from Denmark won his first race at Germany’s one-make series brilliantly but by a very narrow margin.

Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Sean Edwards (GB), Nicki Thiim (DK), Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Only 0.3 seconds separated the Hermes Attempto pilot from Sean Edwards (Great Britain, Deutsche Post by tolimit) in second.

Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Third place went to Nick Tandy. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the Briton heads to round five – which takes place at the Porsche Carrera World Cup as the season highlight – as points’ leader.

Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

On 25 June at the Nürburgring, more than 100 competitors from one-make race series worldwide tackle the greatest Porsche race in history.

Fans were treated to gripping racing already at the start of round four on the 3.748 kilometre Lausitzing.

Sean Edwards (GB), Nicki Thiim (DK), Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Tandy, who started from fourth, took the outside line and in the first corner surprised pole-sitter Thiim and second in the qualifying, Supercup champion, René Rast (Germany, Förch Racing), by passing them. Behind the leading trio a turbulent scene developed. The first victim was reigning champ Nicolas Armindo. The Frenchman (Hermes Attempto Racing) became sandwiched between two opponents and landed in the gravel trap. Two laps later it was René Rast’s turn: out after a light nudge from Robert Renauer (Germany, Herberth Motorsport). Uwe Alzen (Germany, PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive) retired as a result of the collision with Armindo.

The fight at the top was extremely gripping.

At times, only six-hundredths of a second separated Tandy, Thiim and Edwards The leader was finding it increasingly difficult to fend off the two rivals. In the ninth lap came the crunch point. At the end of the back straight, Tandy ran with understeer too far to the outside, Thiim and Edwards slipped through and were able to pull away from Tandy.

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The current points’ leader then came under pressure from Zandvoort winner Jeroen Bleekemolen (Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) and Martin Ragginger (Schnabl Engineering). The Dutchman and the Austrian delivered a fair fight over much of the sprint, with Bleekemolen putting in an immaculate drive to hold the upper hand. Fourth at the flag put him in second overall, but he shares the same points’ tally as his tolimit teammate Edwards in third, followed by Ragginger in fourth.

Three Carrera Cup newcomers profited from the retirements. David Jahn from Germany finished sixth in the Lausitz, and brought home a better result than his team boss and colleague Uwe Alzen, and his second top ten result.

The 2010-rookie Stefan Wendt (Germany) planted his Attempto Racing 911 on seventh ahead of specialist Jan Seyffarth (Germany, SMS Seyffarth Motorsport). Two Cup debutants Philipp Frommenwiler (Switzerland, Attempto Racing) and Damian Sawicki (Poland, Förch Racing) celebrated their ninth and tenth place as if they were a victory.

Nicki Thiim (winner):

“The race was exciting. After Tandy snatched us both in the first corner I thought I wouldn’t regain my position. But then I noticed that he was experiencing problems so I stuck to him like glue and waited for a mistake. But at the same time I had to contend with huge pressure from Edwards. I’m so happy I’ve managed to bring home my first Carrera Cup victory!”

Sean Edwards (second):

“Great race! Even though I was obviously annoyed I missed out on my first Carrera Cup win by such a close margin. My car was perfectly set-up but it was not possible to get past Nicki unscathed.”

Nick Tandy (third):

“That was one of the most difficult races of my life. After a light nudge in the first corner with Nicki Thiim, my car no longer ran perfectly. I heard strange noises and it was very hard to control. Considering this, I’m pleased with third place and the points’ lead.”

Sean Edwards (GB), Nicki Thiim (DK), Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011

Race result
1. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, 34:50.590 minutes (143.739 km/h)
2. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 0.379 seconds
3. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 4.763
4. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 5.450
5. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 5.810
6. David Jahn (D), PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, + 15.781
7. Stefan Wendt (D), Attempto Racing, + 17.995

Drivers’ classification after 4 of 9 races
1. Nick Tandy (GB), 70 points
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 62
3. Sean Edwards (GB), 62
4. Martin Ragginger (A), 42
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL), 39
6. Nicki Thiim (DK), 38

Team classification after 4 of 9 races
1. Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 124 points
2. Konrad Motorsport, 90
3. PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, 47

Round five of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland takes place as part of the Porsche Carrera World Cup on 25 June on the Nürburgring (combination Grand Prix circuit/Nordschleife).

Source:  Porsche Press Media Database

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